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Pear-Cranberry Streusal Kuchen

adapted from Cooking Light

Breakfast, Dessert | Servings: 8-10
Prep time: 25 min | Cook time: 50 min | Total time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

• 5 cups (about 4 large) chopped Anjou (or whatever is in season/your favorite) pears (substitute: Golden Delicious or Rome apples)
• 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ginger or nutmeg
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
• 2 1/2 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (substitute: raisins)

Streusal:
Note: if you’re like me and you really like streusal, you may want to double this.

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. AP or whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp. rolled oats (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger or nutmeg
• 2 1/2 tbsp. cold butter or margarine
• 2 tsp. light corn syrup

Process

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees (F).
2. Arrange chopped pears in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar. Bake for 8 minutes, stirring well. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. sugar and bake an 7 more minutes or until pears are slightly soft. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
3. While pears are baking, make the streusal: combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and spices in a small bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry blender cut in margarine and corn syrup until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine with next flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
5. In a smaller bowl, stir together buttermilk, egg substitute, oil, and lemon rind. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
6. Gently fold in pears and cranberries.
7. Spoon mixture into a 10-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray; place pan on a baking sheet.
8. Sprinkle streusal evenly over batter in pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes (20-25 minutes in mini springform pans) or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.